Race tightens: Clinton, Sanders clash on guns, health care

[webfact]

Race tightens: Clinton, Sanders clash on guns, health care
By LISA LERER and NANCY BENAC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Turning up the temperature, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tangled repeatedly in Sunday night's presidential debate over who's tougher on gun control and Wall Street and how to steer the future of health care in America. It was the last Democratic matchup before voting begins in two weeks, and both sides were eager to rumble as polls showed the race tightening in the leadoff states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Clinton rapped Sanders, the Vermont senator, for voting repeatedly with the National Rifle Association, and then welcomed his weekend reversal of position to support legislation that would deny gun manufacturers legal immunity. She rattled off a list of provisions that she said Sanders had supported in line with the NRA.

Sanders, in turn, said Clinton's assertion that he kowtowed to the gun lobby was "very disingenuous" and pointed to his lifetime rating of a D- from the NRA.

On health care, Sanders released his plan for a government-run single-payer plan just hours before the debate, and used his opening statement to call for health care "for every man, woman and child as a right." Clinton, by contrast, urged less sweeping action to build on President Barack Obama's health care plan by reducing out-of-pocket costs and control spending on prescription drugs.

Clinton suggested Sanders' approach was dangerous — and pie-in-the-sky unrealistic.

"With all due respect, to start over again with a whole new debate is something that would set us back," Clinton said.

Sanders dismissed the idea that he'd endanger hard-won victories, insisting: "No one is tearing this up; we're going to go forward."

Clinton suggested Sanders' health care plan would impose a heavier tax burden on the middle class, saying "I want to raise incomes, not taxes."

Sanders insisted taxpayers would come out ahead with lower costs overall. "It's a pretty good deal," he said.

The two tangled over financial policy, too, with Sanders suggesting Clinton won't be tough enough on Wall Street given the big contributions and speaking fees she's accepted. Clinton, in turn, faulted Sanders' past votes to deregulate financial markets and ease up on federal oversight.

Then, she took a step back to put those differences in a different perspective.

"We're at least having a vigorous debate about reining in Wall Street," she declared. "The Republicans want to give them more power."

Clinton worked aggressively to associate herself with President Obama, claiming credit for her role in the run-up to the Iran nuclear deal as well as praising the health care law.

Overall, the tone of the debate was considerably more heated than the past three face-offs in the Democratic primary. But it also included moments of levity.

At different points, both Clinton and Sanders prefaced their criticism of one another with the phrase "in all due respect."

Sanders took note that he was copying Clinton on that verbiage, drawing a chuckle from his rival.

Then he finished his thought on health care, telling Clinton "in all due respect, you're missing the main point."

Clinton, playing to her liberal audience, cast Sanders' criticisms of Obama for being too weak in taking on Wall Street as unfair, and declared, "I'm going to defend President Obama for taking on Wall Street" and getting results.

"The Republicans just voted last week to repeal the Affordable care Act, and thank goodness, President Obama vetoed it and saved Obamacare for the American people," Clinton said.

Turning to national security, both Sanders and Clinton voiced strong support for Obama's diplomatic overtures to Iran and opposition to sending U.S. ground troops into Syria. Clinton defended her outreach to Russia early in her term as secretary of state, but hesitated when asked to describe her relationship with Vladimir Putin, whose return to the Russian presidency heralded the worsening of U.S.-Russian relations.

"My relationship with him — it's interesting," Clinton said to laughs in the debate hall. "It's one, I think, of respect." But she added it was critical to constantly stand up to Putin, describing him as a bully who "will take as much as he possibly can."

Clinton also shed some light on what role her husband, former President Bill Clinton, would play in her administration. Kitchen table adviser, perhaps?

"It'll start at the kitchen table — we'll see where it goes from there," she said with a laugh.

Then, pointing to the successes of her husband's administration, she added: "You bet I'm going to ask for his ideas. I'm going to ask for his advice."

Sanders was asked about his previous criticism of Bill Clinton's past sexual behavior. He called the former president's behavior "deplorable" but said he wants to focus on issues "not Bill Clinton's personal life." Clinton maintained a tight smile throughout that exchange, and nodded as Sanders said the focus should be on issues.

The debate over gun control — an ongoing area of conflict between Clinton and Sanders — took on special import given the setting: The debate took plan just blocks from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church where nine parishioners were killed during Bible study last summer. Gun control has emerged as a central theme in the race, with Clinton citing the issue as one of the major differences between the candidates.

The third participant in the debate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, tried persistently to insert himself into the conversation. He focused on his record as Maryland's governor and accused both Clinton and Sanders of being inconsistent on gun control

Both Clinton and Sanders are competing for black voters in South Carolina, which hosts the fourth primary contest.

The debate was sponsored by NBC, YouTube and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute.
___

Nancy Benac reported from Washington.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-18

[NeverSure]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

[Silurian]

After washing the filth off of me from the Republican debate, I waded into the water of this latest Democratic debate. I must say the difference between them is quite clear. The Republicans like to preach doom and gloom while the Democrats paint a fairly hopeful future with plenty of work to be done.

I felt a little bad that Martin O'Malley didn't get quite as much speaking time as the other two, but to be honest here, he doesn't have much of a shot.

I think they let Sanders ramble on a little too much. He tended to keep bringing the subject back around to his favorite "attack Wall Street" bluster. Yeah, Bernie, I got it after the first three times you said it. It was a little sad to see that sometimes he wasn't really paying attention to subjects at hand and got caught off guard. I saw more than one "Huh?" moment from him.

Finally Hillary Clinton, I must say she proves again to be good on the debate stage. She has certainly been practicing her oratory skills. I think she was taken aback about her relationship with Putin but it was an off-the-cuff question and I am not sure what was expected there. She does side step the issue of being in the Big Banks pocket as her campaign is quite willing to take their money.

All in all, a better debate than the last Republican one. In this debate, the issues were discussed and very little negative attacks on each other. If Bernie can do well in New Hampshire and Iowa, he should be around for a few more debates. Otherwise, if his polls aren't good, we will probably see him fade away which is too bad. It is good to have some competition on Democratic side. It will keep them on their toes for when the Republican candidate comes knocking on the debate door.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Silurian

[Chicog]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

I think "THEY" is going to be the majority of voters come November.

Don't be surprised if "WE" gets our little heart broken again.

[JetsetBkk]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

[Usernames]

A hectoring old shrew caught way too many times with her hand in the cookie jar. The Clintons just can't keep from shaking the money tree, whether it's deducting their used underwear donations from their taxes, turning $1000 into $100,000 in cattle futures (you are what you eat, you old cow, Hillary), or book deals and speaking fees from the big banks she claims to war against.

[webfact]

Showdown between Clinton and Sanders in Democratic debate
By Dr. Stefan Grobe



CHARLESTON: -- In sharp contrast to the latest Republican debate a few days before, the Democratic candidates for president clashed over issues from gun control to taxes and healthcare without exchanging vicious attacks against each other.

Within minutes of the debate in Charleston, South Carolina, the contest turned into a two-way showdown between the two leaders in polls, former Secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – leaving former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley a mere decorative third person on the stage.

Clinton went on the attack repeatedly against Sanders, portraying the self-described democratic socialist as a revolutionary living in a dream world and presenting herself as an experienced force in politics who will get things done in Washington, even in a highly polarized political environment.

It was the clearest sign yet of how big a threat Clinton sees in Sanders, who is rising in the polls in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire just weeks before the caucuses and primaries in early February.

Sanders depicted Clinton as an ally of big banks and he vigorously defended his positions on guns – which Clinton said was too conservative – and health care – which she argued was confusing and threatened Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Clinton accused Sanders of harshly criticizing Barack Obama as she aligned herself closely with the president.

Disparaging comments from Sanders “don’t just affect me; I can take that,” Clinton said, “but he’s criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street and President Obama has led out country out of the great recession.”

She praised Obama for signing the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform bill. Sanders said he backed Obama in 2008 and 2012, but acknowledged, “we have some differences of opinion.”

Clinton appeared prepared to try to discourage Obama’s supporters from voting for Sanders by ticking off a long list of examples of how Sanders has distanced himself from Obama.

As the debate began, Sanders and Clinton quickly traded blows over guns, continuing a heated back-and-forth that has dominated the campaign trail in recent weeks.

“I think Secretary Clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous,” Sanders said in response to Clinton’s charges that he has not advocated for gun control laws forcefully enough.

Clinton said Sanders flipped his position on Saturday by opposing a law he once supported granting immunity to gun companies.

The gun control issue has emerged as practically the only issue where Clinton believes she can attack Sanders from the left.

Consequently, she has stepped up her attacks on Sanders’ gun positions over the last few weeks, especially since President Obama launched his recent initiative to introduce modest restrictions on the country’s gun laws though executive action.

Sanders, who represents Vermont, a state with abundant hunters, does have a mixed record on guns. But many of the votes Clinton highlighted were cast decades ago. He now champions most of the same aggressive gun-control measures as Clinton and Obama, and he talks about it frequently on the campaign trail.

In sharp contrast to the Republican debate last week, foreign policy and the fight against ISIL in Syria and Iraq played almost no role in the Democratic debate.

The candidates agreed mostly about foreign policy, saying the United States should not get involved in a “quagmire” in the Middle East and defending President Obama’s record on the issue.

Clinton defended Obama against Republican attacks that he was weak and indecisive and instead praised the administration for its leadership on the Iran nuclear deal.

When Clinton was asked about her relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, she smiled and said it was “interesting” and characterized by “respect” – but she also called him a “bully”.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-01-18

[Chicog]

A hectoring old shrew caught way too many times with her hand in the cookie jar. The Clintons just can't keep from shaking the money tree, whether it's deducting their used underwear donations from their taxes, turning $1000 into $100,000 in cattle futures (you are what you eat, you old cow, Hillary), or book deals and speaking fees from the big banks she claims to war against.

Do you feel better now you've got that off your chest?

[oxo1947]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

So we can assure us all with a degree of certainty that Neither of those 2 people will be your next president - NeverSure ??

OK well your rarely wrong..... ......so over to you Donald .......................................

[Usernames]

A hectoring old shrew caught way too many times with her hand in the cookie jar. The Clintons just can't keep from shaking the money tree, whether it's deducting their used underwear donations from their taxes, turning $1000 into $100,000 in cattle futures (you are what you eat, you old cow, Hillary), or book deals and speaking fees from the big banks she claims to war against.

Do you feel better now you've got that off your chest?

Well, yes. I do.

[CMNightRider]

After watching this democratic debate, and comparing Clinton and Bernie with any of the republican candidates, even the most naive liberals must already know this election will be a disaster election year for the democrats. Their naive gun control rhetoric along with trying to agree with and support Obama's dismal and failed policies, almost made me feel sorry for these two buffoons.

Hillary and Bernie may be running neck and neck but the winner is going to have to face the republican nominee, and that is where you will see the democratic nominee fail miserably and rightfully so.

[NeverSure]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

So we can assure us all with a degree of certainty that Neither of those 2 people will be your next president - NeverSure ??

OK well your rarely wrong..... ......so over to you Donald .......................................

I feel quite sure that Hillary can't beat anyone. I've been saying all along on here that she's a loser. Sanders is a joke who's doing OK only because Hillary is so bad.

Wait until the primaries are over and one of them has to face Trump.

[boomerangutang]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

You're seeing what you want to see. .....from polls from the right wing.

I got a grin when Bernie asserted his Democratic cred by claiming he scores a D- from the NRA. Any poll that states they found a majority of Americans oppose gun control is not a realistic poll. All but the most 'pry-my-dead-fingers-off-this-assault-weapon' die-hard gun humpers are in favor of more sensible gun-control laws.

A vast majority of Americans are sick of how a minority of gun-crazies have commandeered the discussion. You don't have to believe me. You'll find out in early November.

Note: Just a few days ago, Texas went from 'concealed carry' to 'open carry' for handguns. It's ironic that the following two items were reported in that regard: A. Right-wing redneck Texans (and there are a lot of them) are starting to realize that making gun carry laws lax are also make it easier for a lot of blacks and chicanos to carry around weapons everywhere - AND THEY DON'T LIKE THAT. When Texans passed that law, they thought it would just be the good 'ol white boys carrying the guns around.

Secondly, many shops and malls won't allow gun-totting people on their premises. Their stated reason: shop workers (particularly people who operate check-out cash registers) don't particularly like bunches of people showing up with loaded guns. I wonder why?

Edited January 18, 2016 by boomerangutang

[boomerangutang]

The back and forth on these political threads (on US election proceedings) are quite similar to the back and forths from 4 years ago. At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right. All those who were sure Romney had it in his (deep) pocket were wrong. I'll be right again by predicting Hillary will take it by a country mile. Pour some ketchup on your hats, 'cause some of y'all are going to have to eat 'em.

P.s. I like Bernie a lot, but I think H is gonna get the nod for nominee and for prez. She'll beat Cruz by a comfortable margin.

[Andaman Al]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

So we can assure us all with a degree of certainty that Neither of those 2 people will be your next president - NeverSure ??

OK well your rarely wrong..... ......so over to you Donald .......................................

I feel quite sure that Hillary can't beat anyone. I've been saying all along on here that she's a loser. Sanders is a joke who's doing OK only because Hillary is so bad.

Wait until the primaries are over and one of them has to face Trump.

So she's a loser and he is a joke and the opposition is what exactly?

[boomerangutang]

They are committing suicide. A majority of Americans oppose stricter gun control. CNN

A majority opposes Obamacare. RCP

WE are the majority. WE are the mainstream. THEY are bit players. THEY are the far-out wacko left fringe. THEY should move to Europe.

Cheers.

So we can assure us all with a degree of certainty that Neither of those 2 people will be your next president - NeverSure ??

OK well your rarely wrong..... ......so over to you Donald .......................................

I feel quite sure that Hillary can't beat anyone. I've been saying all along on here that she's a loser. Sanders is a joke who's doing OK only because Hillary is so bad.

Wait until the primaries are over and one of them has to face Trump.

If Hillary and Bernie are losers, I'd hate to think of an appropriate label for the Republican candidates. P.S. Trump has never won an election in his life. He was a bully at army cadet school, and he's a bully at business. The main reason he's been successful at biz is he's adept at always getting loans, and delay paying back by .....wait for it, .....being a bully to the loan officers. When his Atlantic City casino was about to go belly-up, Trump's daddy showed up with a million bucks cash to bail him out. Trump, if he becomes prez (which he won't), would continue his bluster and borrowing. Clinton balanced the budget, then Bush Jr. ran it up into the red again (like his dad and like Reagan). One of the planks of Romney/Ryan's bid of 2012 was their promise to give the military much more money than it asked for. Trump would probably do worse than his red-lining Republican predecessors . He thinks money grows on trees, and that he can spend his way out of any situation.

I think Cruz will get the Republican nod. Even hard core millionaire right-wingers are spooked by having Trump carry their flag.

[Ulysses G.]

At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right.

Maybe as far as who won the election, but you were proved very wrong as far as his presidency. Obama has been voted the WORST president since WW2 by the American people and he deserves it.

[Andaman Al]

At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right.

Maybe as far as who won the election, but you were proved very wrong as far as his presidency. Obama has been voted the WORST president since WW2 by the American people and he deserves it.

Which American people? Which poll? Which vote?

Links please, thank you.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Andaman Al

[connda]

They all lie. So what's the diff?

[chuckd]

The back and forth on these political threads (on US election proceedings) are quite similar to the back and forths from 4 years ago. At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right. All those who were sure Romney had it in his (deep) pocket were wrong. I'll be right again by predicting Hillary will take it by a country mile. Pour some ketchup on your hats, 'cause some of y'all are going to have to eat 'em.

P.s. I like Bernie a lot, but I think H is gonna get the nod for nominee and for prez. She'll beat Cruz by a comfortable margin.

You are forgetting that Hillary was the first scalp that Obama collected outside the sewer of Chicago politics. She is far from being invincible.

Bernie will never get elected. When his early life associations with some of the more awkward organizations he favored becomes more public, he will be crucified. His history will be his doom.

I believe Hillary will win the nomination. Then I believe Bernie will run a third party candidacy and split the Democrat vote.

You will remember, Bernie is not a member of the Democrat party. He is a registered independent.

The only hope the Democrats have is to run a Biden/Warren ticket.

[chuckd]

At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right.

Maybe as far as who won the election, but you were proved very wrong as far as his presidency. Obama has been voted the WORST president since WW2 by the American people and he deserves it.

Which American people? Which poll? Which vote?

Links please, thank you.

Will these help:

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/poll-obama-worst-president-since-wwii-108507

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/07/02/obama-george-w-bush-quinnipiac-poll-reagan-clinton/11985837/

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/2/obama-worst-president-wwii-new-poll-shows/?page=all

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/02/who-is-the-worst-president-since-wwii/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/07/obama-the-worst-president-since-wwii-see-how-he-stacks-up/

https://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2056

[Jingthing]

The back and forth on these political threads (on US election proceedings) are quite similar to the back and forths from 4 years ago. At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right. All those who were sure Romney had it in his (deep) pocket were wrong. I'll be right again by predicting Hillary will take it by a country mile. Pour some ketchup on your hats, 'cause some of y'all are going to have to eat 'em.

P.s. I like Bernie a lot, but I think H is gonna get the nod for nominee and for prez. She'll beat Cruz by a comfortable margin.

You are forgetting that Hillary was the first scalp that Obama collected outside the sewer of Chicago politics. She is far from being invincible.

Bernie will never get elected. When his early life associations with some of the more awkward organizations he favored becomes more public, he will be crucified. His history will be his doom.

I believe Hillary will win the nomination. Then I believe Bernie will run a third party candidacy and split the Democrat vote.

You will remember, Bernie is not a member of the Democrat party. He is a registered independent.

The only hope the Democrats have is to run a Biden/Warren ticket.

That's absurd. Bernie won't run third party. The Nader lesson has been learned.

[chuckd]

Do you honestly believe that if Bernie carries a few of the primary states and then doesn't get some honest chance at winning the nomination he will simply tell all his backers to forget about him and vote for Hillary?

If his mind works at all, it doesn't work quite that way.

Nader never had the support old Bernie does. Apples and oranges.

[Jingthing]

Right wing pipe dream. Bernie runs third party any republican would win and win big.

[inaktive]

i enjoy reading here how some minority Old White Male posters think they are still the majority of Americans or can win any election on a national level.

that time is gone for good as long as you have christian extremist nutjobs or a Donald as their candidates and not a candidate of the middle. you may have the majority of the CASH and CEOs but not anymore more that 20-25% of the potential voters for the more and more extremist rightwing policies the GOP is now standing for

[stevenl]

The back and forth on these political threads (on US election proceedings) are quite similar to the back and forths from 4 years ago. At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right. All those who were sure Romney had it in his (deep) pocket were wrong. I'll be right again by predicting Hillary will take it by a country mile. Pour some ketchup on your hats, 'cause some of y'all are going to have to eat 'em.

P.s. I like Bernie a lot, but I think H is gonna get the nod for nominee and for prez. She'll beat Cruz by a comfortable margin.

You are forgetting that Hillary was the first scalp that Obama collected outside the sewer of Chicago politics. She is far from being invincible.

Bernie will never get elected. When his early life associations with some of the more awkward organizations he favored becomes more public, he will be crucified. His history will be his doom.

I believe Hillary will win the nomination. Then I believe Bernie will run a third party candidacy and split the Democrat vote.

You will remember, Bernie is not a member of the Democrat party. He is a registered independent.

The only hope the Democrats have is to run a Biden/Warren ticket.

Yes, your only hope of winning this is if Bernie runs as an independent. But you're mistaken believing for hoping.

[boomerangutang]

At that time, it was Obama vs Romney. I was siding with Obama then, and I was proved right.

Maybe as far as who won the election, but you were proved very wrong as far as his presidency. Obama has been voted the WORST president since WW2 by the American people and he deserves it.

Truman had a lower approval rating than Obama has now (22 to 24%), yet in the current poll, Truman has zero votes indicating he was unpopular. People are swayed by up-to-the-moment events and tend to blur past events. They also lionize people, the further back in time. Vlad the Impaler, or Attila the Hun or Gengis Khan are lionized in myth now, but in their time, they were scourges, sometimes murdering hundreds of people each day.

.....according to something called the "Quinnipiac poll" Who ever heard of Quinnipiac University or their poll before? Is it just some jocks sitting around a room looking for something to do?

"This makes retrospective questions like the one in the Quinnipiac poll biased against sitting presidents. Obama’s rank as the “worst president since WWII” is currently plagued by lost emails at the IRS, House Republicans’ accusations of executive overreach, and a sluggish economy, among other things. Previous presidents are free from current events. Bush’s approval is no longer burdened by the Iraq War, which helped lower his approval to 25% at one point. Harry Truman’s faults in office have evidently been forgiven. He tops the list as the least-worst president despite having the lowest recorded job approval in Gallup history (22%). Reagan’s legacy is no longer burdened by the early-1980s recession, which dragged his approval into the mid-30s. Nixon’s memory has evidently escaped Watergate. He fairs better than Obama and Bush II despite leaving office with only 24% approval. Clinton’s memory has certainly escaped his improprieties in the Oval Office."

source: Georgetown University (a university which has been heard of)

I could publish a poll proving ducks don't quack - if I framed the question in a certain way, and polled only people who had problems with ducks.

[Ulysses G.]

Who ever heard of Quinnipiac University or their poll before?

Pretty much everyone but you.

The poll has been cited by major news outlets throughout North America and Europe, including The Washington Post,[5] Fox News,[6] USA Today,[7] The New York Times,[8] CNN,[9] and Reuters.[10] Quinnipiac's Polling Institute receives national recognition for its independent surveys of residents throughout the United States. It conducts public opinion polls on politics and public policy as a public service as well as for academic research.[1][3] Andrew S. Tanenbaum, the founder of the poll-analysis website Electoral-vote.com, compared major pollsters' performances in the 2010 midterm Senate elections and concluded that Quinnipiac was the most accurate, with a mean error of 2.0 percent.[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinnipiac_University_Polling_Institute

Edited January 19, 2016 by Ulysses G.

[stillbornagain]

Look at the latest approval/disapproval ratings for Obama

Gallup: 51/45

Rasmussen: 49/50

Reuters/Ipson 48/48

At the same point in his presidency George W. Bush was at about 32% approval.

As for that polling show Obama ranking as the worst president since WW2. The total percentage was 33% which corresponds pretty much to the electoral right wing. And virtually every president's approval ratings rise once they are out of office. So comparing a sitting president to a retired one is obviously an ludicrous way to read a poll's results.

Edited January 19, 2016 by stillbornagain

[Scott]

An off-topic post was removed. Please stay on topic.